Colton Herta's hair left him unable to see during Toronto race due to his balaclava breaking
- Sean Fisher
- 19 July 2022
Colton Herta will likely be considering a hair cut this week, after his balaclava breaking meant his own hair impaired his vision in Toronto.
Andretti Autosports' Colton Herta claimed second in last weekend's race in Toronto, but was forced to battle leader Scott Dixon with impaired vision after his hair fell in front of his face.
Herta started in pole position but quickly lost his place to eventual winner Dixon. The 22-year-old looked to try and claim the position back, while also defending from McLaren's Felix Rosenqvist behind him.
However, his task was made even more difficult in the closing stages of the Toronto event, as his balaclava failed and his hair poured in front of his face.
"I couldn't really see much because my head sock broke," said Herta.
Colton Herta struggled during the race in Toronto after his balaclava broke, making his hair flop forward and limit his vision 👀
— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) July 18, 2022
Will we see him with a new hairstyle this weekend? 😅
#IndyCar #IndyTO #ColtonHerta #Motorsport pic.twitter.com/WK3UOKmyee
"All of my hair went in front of my face. I could see Felix when I went through Turn 3. I could kind of judge the gap… I was having to look out the sides of my visor instead of in front."
When asked if Rosenqvist had closed up on him because he had used up his tires too much trying to keep up with Dixon, Herta responded, "No, honestly I think a lot of it was from the balaclava. It sounds like a lame excuse and I try not to make excuses. Yeah, I really couldn't see much.
"Regardless, even if I could see, Felix seemed to be really fast, kind of just on pace with Scott, and we seemed to have a little bit more [tire] deg.
"I was starting to struggle there at the end where it looks like Felix was still able to get out of the corners and able to stay with me. Maybe he wasn't struggling as much.
Drink up it’s a podium!!! #Gainbridge // #AllAndretti // #PoweredByHonda pic.twitter.com/AXnWkEX2Xq
— Colton Herta (@ColtonHerta) July 18, 2022
"This head sock that I have has to hold back a lot of hair so I can understand why it broke. It's the first time I've ever actually seen that or heard of that. I'll go for the Felix trim next week!"
Despite Herta wanting to avoid a similar disaster next race, he doesn't seem too keen on cutting his hair anytime soon.
"I'll just wear a brand-new one every time I race. A hair cut would also solve things, but I'm not gonna."
Asked about potential hair accessories, Herta said, "Cut my hair and get a toupee or something?! I don't know."
